15 Easy Magic Tricks That Will Blow Your Kids' Minds

Now if only you could make your kids clean their room.

1. Peel a banana to reveal it's pre-sliced.

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Here's how it works: You cut the pieces by carefully sticking a pin into an unpeeled banana and wiggling it back and forth.

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Check out this how-to video here.

2. Cut a hole in a piece of a paper big enough to walk through.

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Here's how it works: Fold an 8x11 piece of paper and cut it a series of times (detailed in this tutorial) to create a hole that's actually large enough to step through.

3. Turn water into ice as it pours.

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Here's how it works: Put a water bottle in the freezer until just before it reaches the point of freezing (somewhere around two hours), then take it out and pour it onto a piece of ice. This, for science-y reasons, turns the water into "instant ice."

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Watch this tutorial to get more in-depth details.

4. Make a ring defy gravity by rising up a string.

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Here's how it works: The "string" in this case is actually a rubber band. As you stretch the rubber band, it gives the illusion the ring is rising up the string, when in fact it is just the rubber band elongating. Learn more here.

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You can also watch this video tutorial.

5. Crack an apple in half with your bare hands.

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Here's how it works: Our hands aren't strong enough to just rip an apple in half, but if you grip one just so — explained in this tutorial — you can create two types of force that work synergistically to halve the apple.

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You can watch the video tutorial too.

6. Make a ketchup pack rise and fall in a bottle of water.

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Here's how it works: You can make the packet rise and fall by subtly squeezing (and releasing) the bottle with your right hand. Your kids won't notice what your right hand is doing if you make a show of "controlling" the packet with your left hand.

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Watch this tutorial here.

7. Make a coffee cup float in the air.

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Here's how it works: The secret behind this one is incredibly simple — you stick the thumb on your right hand through the Styrofoam to keep the cup aloft, then add a lot of razzle-dazzle with your fingers and left hand.

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Get the deets from this video tutorial.

8. Stick a pencil up your nose and pull it out the side of your head.

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Here's how it works: Slide your bottom hand up the pencil as you pretend to stick it in your nose, then slide it back down the pencil when you take it out of your head. You'll want to practice in the mirror, though, because it will only look convincing if you deftly hide the pencil behind your wrist.

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Check out this how-to tutorial.

9. Draw a boy out of the word "boy."

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Here's how it works: This cute party trick uses the "b" and "o" to form the boy's eyes, and the "y" to make the side of the boy's face.

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Watch the tutorial here.

10. Stick a pencil through a bag of water without spilling a drop.

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Here's how it works: There's no trick here, just science. When you stick the pencil through the plastic bag, the bag's molecular make-up causes it to create a seal around the pencil. Learn more here.

11. Find a hidden card in a deck.

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Here's how it works: In a nutshell, this classic trick is made possible by memorizing the bottom card in the deck. Check out this tutorial to learn more.

12. Levitate.

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Here's how it works: Keep the ball of your left foot (the one furthest away from your kids) on the ground while raising the rest of your feet off the ground. You'll want to practice in a mirror until it appears convincing.

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Learn more about this trick — and six others using household items — here.

13. Pass a coin through a table.

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Here's how it works: Like a lot of magic tricks, this one relies heavily on sleight of hand. To do it right, you will need to create a distraction while sliding the coin off the table into your other hand.

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Learn more by watching this video tutorial.

14. Remove your pinkie and then put it back.

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Here's how it works: When "removing" your pinkie, quickly reposition it behind your index finger. Then, when "putting it back," pull your pinkie back out from behind the index finger.

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Learn more about how to do this trick here.

15. Make Sprite magically change colors.

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Here's how it works: Hide food coloring under ice in a cup, then pour Sprite atop it. When the Sprite mixes with the food coloring it will "magically" change colors. Learn more here.